


Jericho, Our Small Town

by Boatie



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, But the others are still prevalent, Connor and Conan (rk900) are twins, Drama, Getting Together, Human AU, Josh and North work at the cafe, Josh is a good best friend, Leo hates Markus, Little Sister Emma, M/M, Markus is Carls adopted son, Markus is a college student, North is a bitch, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Daniel, Ralph owns a flower shop, Simkus is the main ship, Simon and Daniel are twins, Simon and Daniel run a diner, Simon and North hate each other, Stressed Simon, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-06-13 17:05:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15369243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boatie/pseuds/Boatie
Summary: Markus moved to Jericho to be closer to his college, he also brought his dad and pain in the ass brother with him. He makes new friends, falls in love, and gets good grades all the while trying to hold his family together, put his brother through rehab, and pay for his dads heart treatment.He's struggling to say the least.------I'm bad at summaries....





	1. New Beginnings

Markus stepped out of his car, taking in a deep breath. He looked at the house, he and his dad picked it out. It was white, but the paint was chipping making the graying wood stick out. It wasn’t ugly, it made the house feel vintage.  
“Markus, son,” He heard his dad struggle, making him quickly rush to the door. He pulled the wheelchair from Leo and helped the older man into it.  
“Sorry, I was lost in thought,” He lightly chuckled as he wheeled him up onto the sidewalk, “It’s great isn’t it?”  
He smiled and nodded, “It looks as good as it did in the pictures,” he commented making the dark man smile gently, “I’m glad we weren’t tricked.”  
Markus felt the same way as they had never toured the house, they simply bought it off the landlord with a few simple texts.  
“Let’s get you inside, and hopefully the truck will be here with our stuff in a few minutes,” He said, glancing back at Leo who looked less than pleased. He rolled his eyes and pushed his dad up the ramp to the house.

 

It was even prettier on the inside, the wall paper was all pastel colors, mostly yellow and blue. It made the house have a relaxing aura which made the two artist very pleased. The stairs were right next to the living room, making Markus release the chair.  
“I’m going to check out upstairs, how about you check out the back porch,” Markus said making his dad nod, “The landlord said it was a good place for us to paint.” That seemed to peak the old man's interest as he started wheeling back there.  
To that, Markus made his way to the stairs only to have Leo shove him out of the way and glare at him all the way upstairs. He followed soon after, checking out the first room right across from the stairs.  
It would make a decent sized bedroom, and it had two very large windows letting natural light bath the room. It’s be good for small painting projects in his room, so he decided this would be his room.  
“I call dibs on this room,” Markus called to his brother who poked his head out of another room.  
“Well, I call this one,” He yelled back before they both heard a honk from outside. They both rushed down the stairs to see the moving truck.  
“Leo, keep dad out of harm's way while I carry the boxes in,” Markus said making the older man roll his eyes but go find their dad. The younger silently thanked god that he wasn’t putting up a fight.

 

He had most of the boxes out of the back of the truck when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he glanced over to be met with big, beautiful, blue eyes.  
“Hi,” The man said, he had two other people with him, “I’m Simon, I live a few houses down.” He pointed to a worn-out-looking, tan house.  
“Ah, I’m Markus,” He responded standing up and holding his hand out for him to shake. The blonde shook his hand, they were slightly calloused and bandaged, “What’re your names?” he asked the other two.  
“I’m Josh,” answered the male of the group, he simply nodded his head at Markus, signalling he didn’t want to shake hands, “I room with her.” he motioned towards the girl who looked bored.  
“I’m North,” Said the girl as she pointed to the house next to simon’s before grabbing Markus’ hand and shaking it, “That’s mine.”  
“I see,” He responded when she let go of his hand, her hand was a lot smoother than Simon’s, “Well, I better get back to unpacking-”  
“Need any help?” Simon interrupted making his friends look at him with ‘really’ expressions on their faces, “I don’t have work today, North and Josh have to get going.” They nodded and Simon waved goodbye to them.  
“Thank you,” Markus said making the blonde shrug and pick up a box. He looked back at the slightly shorter man.  
“It’s no problem,” He threw back before disappearing in the house.

 

Eventually they got all the boxes in the house and were now shoving the couch through the doorway.  
“Move it to the left!” Simon called, making Markus shift the piece of furniture and then watch has it pushed through to quickly. The owner of that couch jumped and tried to catch it only to have his fingers smashed under it.  
“Fuck!” He howled it pain making the blonde gasp and peek over the couch. Markus had managed to break open the skin across is fingers and palm resulting in a bloody mess.  
“Are you okay?!” Simon called out, making the darker man nod and move the couch off his hand. He winced when he touched it with his other hand.  
“Y-Yeah, lets get this couch in here,” He responded as Simon picked up his side the worried look on his face never going away.

Once the seat was placed in the living room, the blonde grabbed Markus’ blood cover wrist and flipped it over to stare at his hand.  
“Oh my,” He said looking at the darker complected man, “Where’s your first aid box?” he lead the other man up the stairs to the bathroom and sat on the toilet.  
“It’s in one of those,” He responded, pointing to the two boxes next to the bathtub. The adrenaline was now wearing off and pain started to pulse through his wounds.  
Simon swiftly opened both boxes, grabbing out peroxide, bandaids, and bandages, “We should’ve been more careful,” he commented turning around and putting Markus’ hand in the sink. The water was hot, making the injured man wince but that didn’t stop Simon from taking a wash rag and scrubbing away the dried blood.  
“Be more gentle!” He groaned making the blonde apologize and turn off the water. He noticed Simon looking at the large scar on his arm. When they made eye contact he simply smiled and poured peroxide on the bandaids.  
“I see you’re good at getting yourself hurt,” He said after a few minutes of silence and secured the last bandaid on his pinkie.  
“My brother helped me get that one,” Markus responded as the blonde nodded and put some peroxide on the bandage. He looked up at him as if telling him to go on, “We were playing tag at the park and he pushed me when he tagged me. I fell into some barbed wire and it shredded my arm.”  
“Ouch,” he winced as he wrapped the bandage around Markus’ hand, “My brother did some mean things to me too, but hey, I’m still standing right?” his eyes looked sad but his smile was warm, Markus’ wanted to know why.  
“Right,” He agreed as the bandage was secured and Simon washed his hands.  
“Well, since that’s all taken care of and we have all of your stuff in here, I think I’ll be going,” He stated drying his hands off on a towel and walked towards the door, “Oh, and I own John and Caroline’s Diner, you should stop in sometime. It’s always nice to seem familiar faces.”  
“I’ll be sure to do that,” He said making a genuine small smile slide onto Simon’s face.  
“I can’t wait to see you, but until then I hope you have a good evening, Markus,” He responded before leaving the house.  
“Well, that was gay,” Leo bit making his younger brother roll his eyes. Markus had came out to his dad and brother long ago, but that didn’t stopped his brother from using it against him.  
“Get split, Leo,” He snapped before shoving past him, why did he have to be like that? What had Markus done to make Leo hate him? He guessed he’d never know, but right now he was more concerned with making his dad a meal.

 

That night Markus stared at the ceiling. This was a new beginning, for him and his family. He sighed and tried to closed his eyes again, at least he had managed to make one friend.


	2. John and Caroline’s Diner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus goes to John and Caroline’s Diner and Carl tags along.

When Markus rose in the morning, he heard two things. The shower running and the sound of Carl faintly calling for help.  
He jumped out of bed, sprinting to find his dad on the floor in their unfinished studio.  
“Dad! What’re you doing?!” He yelled, grabbing him up off the floor and swiftly putting him in the wheel chair.  
“I was trying to get into the studio room, but the ramp was moved. I wasn’t paying attention and just-“ He sighed, and seemed so put out.  
“How long have you been laying there?” He asked, his heart aching at the idea of him being there for more than five or ten minutes.  
“I don’t know, not for very long though,” he said making his son nod, but he still felt bad, “Thank you, Markus.”  
He simply nodded and wheeled him into the kitchen deciding to make his dad a meal, it’s was 8:35 am. He usually was up before his family but they seemed to both want to tour the town today.  
He and his dad just wanted to find some place to supply their paint and Leo just wanted to get away from both of them.  
As Markus checked the fridge he remembered they didn’t have any food. He sighed and shook his head before Simon’s words from yesterday filled his mind.

It’s always nice to see familiar faces

He smiled at the words, “Hey dad, we’re going out for breakfast,” he said simply making his dad nod.  
He quickly go him dressed and then himself, before deciding Leo should probably know where they were.  
“Hey, Leo,” he said, knocking on the bathroom door.  
“What do you want?” He yelled through the door, sounding rather annoyed. Markus rolled his eyes.  
“Dad and I are going out to get some fresh air and breakfast, we’ll be back later,” he stated before Leo made a scoffing noise and went back to showering, “good talk.” He mumbled to himself before leaving his asshole brother to clean himself.

 

“Ready to go?” He asked as his dad stared out the window. He turned his head and nodded, making Markus’ worry sky rocket, “Are you not feeling well?”  
“Just grab my Amiodarone,” he said making his son scramble to go get it from his room. He got back and gave him two of the tablets. He swallowed them without water making his son shake his head.  
“Alright, let go,” he said after a few minutes, but Markus made sure to bring the medication with them.

 

He decided walking would be easier and more cost efficient considering he lived barely 5 minutes away from the stores and food. It’s only take him 10 minutes to get there, and it roughly did.  
He pushed his dad across the street and onto the sidewalk, and they were officially in the strip of small stores, diners, and cafés.  
“Where are we going?” The older man asked as Markus searched for The place. His eyes finally fell on a pastel yellow building, the words “John and Caroline’s Diner” were huge across the top of the building in white making Markus know he had found the right place.  
“We’re going here,” he said making his dad look around as they walked through the doors.  
It was a nice place, with a bar and plenty of booths. The smell of pancakes and coffee filled the air making both men realize they were a lot hungrier than they thought.  
He pushed his dad up to one of the tables before seeing a tuft off blonde hair passing out food to a few guys and it made him smile warmly.  
“I’ll be right back,” he said, standing and moving to the bar to see his friend from yesterday.  
They made eye contact and Simon didn’t smile but approached him anyways.  
“Hey,” He said making the blonde give him a weird look.  
“Hi,” he said back before giving him a menu, he went to turn around Markus grab his arm stopping him. Simon stopped and turned around looking rather confused.  
“I need two menus, and uh, I wanted to thank you for helping me move in yesterday,” he said as he slowly pulled his arm away, “oh, and thanks for fixing my hand, I wouldn’t have gotten around to it, ever.”  
“You have the wrong guy,” he spoke, before grabbing his apron and showing him the pin, ‘Daniel’ it read, “you’re looking for my brother.” He slid the second menu to Markus and gave him a once over, “I’ll get him for you.”  
With that he disappeared behind the employees only door, and soon an identical man stepped out of the door. He saw Markus and smiled warmly, and that’s how he knew that he was Simon.  
“I heard you met my brother,” he said, wiping his hands on a towl, and Markus realized he had badder on his hands, “Daniel isn’t a very social guy.”  
“He was pleasant enough,” he responded making the blonde quirk his brow slightly, “I just wanted to thank you for yesterday. Your friends were itching to leave and you stayed anyways. I really appreciate it.”  
The look on Simon’s face was of pure shock, as if he wasn’t expecting a thank you. He seemed to quickly realize he was just staring like a dope and quickly turned to a smile.  
“You don’t have to thank me, Markus, I wanted you to feel welcome,” he laughed breathily as if he was trying to brush off Markus’ words, but he knew the other valued his words.  
“You were the only one in town who even introduced themselves to me,” He pushed making the blonde divert his eyes to the ground, “you deserve thanks, Simon.”  
“You’re welcome,” he said quietly before a child at the bar knocked over their drink making him jump, he looked at Markus quickly, “I have to get that.”  
“Yeah, go ahead,” he said making the shyer man run off. His colored eyes lingered on the other man as he cheered up the kid and started cleaning the mess before he took his seat with his dad.  
“What took you so long?” He asked, snatching the menu from his son and hastily looking inside.  
“The guy who helped us move in works here,” he said making his dad raise an eyebrow in his direction, “I thought I’d thank him.”  
“Good on you, son,” he praised making the younger man smile softly before they both went to ordering.

 

“Hey, sorry about that, I tell people not to put their kids up there but they do and they spill their drinks and I have to clean it up which is hell-“ Simon rambled before noticing Markus was seated with someone else making him internally face palm, “Pardon me, sir,” he said to Markus’ dad who smiled up at him.  
“Hi, I’m Markus’ dad, Carl,” he said holding out his hand to the blonde who shook it in return.  
“I’m Simon,” he said before remembering the task at hand and pulling out his pad and pen, “Can I get you guys drinks?”  
“We’ll both have coffee, and add a water on that as well?” Markus asked watching as the mans hand scribbled the drinks down on the paper. His hands were covered in a dusty white and some parts seemed to still contain badder, but something about them made Markus want to draw them. Maybe it was the imperfect roughness or the way they gently handled things either way they just drew him in .  
“Awesome, and are you guys ready to order or do you need another minute?” He asked as both exchanged glances before nodding.  
“We’re ready to order,” Markus responded as the other man nodded and looked at him with his pen at the ready. They both ordered and Simon hurried off to go wait other tables and get their orders in.  
Carl watched him walk away before looking at his awe struck son, “He’s inspiring, don’t you agree?” He asked making the other man nod a little more enthusiastically then he meant to.  
“Yeah, his aura is just...” Markus paused to think of the good word, not noticing the sly smile on his dads face, “genuine.”  
That’s the only word he could describe it, Simon was so genuine in his actions and his words and Markus wanted to know more.  
“He seems like a nice boy,” his dad commented, before the Blonde came towards their table with their food.  
“Here you fella’s go,” He said peaking both of their interest in his word choice as his slid their plates on the table.  
“Did you just say ‘fellas’?” Markus asked making the taller man sigh with a smile on his face.  
“Yes, it’s a good way to address everyone at the table,” he responded, crossing his arms and looking between the both of them.  
“You can’t say ‘guys’?” Markus asked making the blonde playfully roll his eyes.  
“Or just ‘here you go’?” Carl chimed in before taking a small bite of his eggs. Simon had a big smile on his face, he can’t remember the last time he had joked around and just had a good time with his customers.  
“Is it just pick on the way Simon talks day?” He asked making both of the men he was serving laugh, they didn’t see Daniel’s cold eyes watching them.  
“Alright, bub, we’ll leave you to work,” Carl finally said after their laughter died down.  
“Did you just say ‘bub’?” Simon asked getting one more small chuckle out of them before leaving them at the table.

 

He stepped into the back kitchen, spotting Daniel washing dishes and looking rather nonchalant. Something Daniel never was.  
“How you holding up?” He asked, making his twin look at him and smile gently.  
That’s something people never understood, how close they were despite being polar opposites.  
Daniel was cold, antisocial, and even downright scary sometimes but Simon was warm, extroverted, and wished nothing but the best for people, and yet the boys somehow managed to be as close as close could be.  
When Daniel lost his temper Simon calmed him down, and when Simon’s in a rut it’s Daniel who helps him out. They need each other.  
“I’m doing fine,” he said making his brother nod, there was a beat of silence before Daniel sighed, “that guy seems awfully nice.”  
He just said it, not with any sort of negative connotation which made Simon smile.  
“Yeah, his names Markus, he’s sure sweet,” he replied making his brother stop doing the dishes.  
“You don’t know that,” he said making Simon’s hopeful demeanor go kaput.  
“I know,” he sighed before shrugging and letting a small smile slip to his lips, “but it’s fine to hope, right?”  
Daniel simply nodded as he grabbed the spatula to go cook orders, Simon watched his brother walk away before he heard the bell on the door ring, pulling him back to his work.


	3. Blue and Green eyes and flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus going to the diner becomes a regular occurrence to the point where he sits in the same spot everyday. Simon see's a flower on his way to give a friend lunch, and decides to get it for Markus.

Simon sighed as he opened the diner, Daniel immediately finding the farthest booth and bedding down for a few more minutes of sleep. His twin let him, knowing how long he stayed up last night. Emma, on the other hand, sat outside the door waiting for the bus, her little head laid against the side of building. It made her older brother frown, wishing he could stay home long enough for her to get decent sleep and get on the bus there.  
He let out a long sigh as he slipped on his apron over his uniform, and quickly started the stove to let it heat up a bit before he made any food. He glanced at the clock, 6:35 am. He chuckled tiredly, knowing Markus would be there in a 10 to 15 minutes.  
He wiped down the tables and mopped the floor while he waited for people to fill in. He yawned as heard the bell ring on the door, he looked over to it, seeing Luther make his way to the bar.  
“Morning,” Simon greeted, setting his mop to the side as he pulled out his pen and pad, “How’s your morning been?”  
The other man grunted, making Simon smile slightly, “I know how you feel, do you want your usual?” Luther was one of his frequent customers, they’d often talk about random things when he came in, mostly the town's latest drama.  
“Yes, please,” He responded softly, his hand on his temples making the other man give him a sad look. He looked worn out, and Simon could only imagine. He worked at a diner and was exhausted enough to sleep four days straight, he couldn’t imagine doing back breaking labor everyday.  
He made his food as quickly as possible, bringing it out to him as Markus walked in. He smiled gently.  
“It’s so quiet here,” Markus commented as he took his seat next to luther who ate silently.  
“Most people don’t get up until eight unless they have kids to send to school,” He explained to the man who was still getting used to his new surroundings.  
“What time does Emma get on the bus?” Markus asked glancing at the little girl sitting outside of the building.  
“7:35,” He responded making those heterochromatic eyes widen, it was only, 6:54, she sat out there for a good 45 minutes waiting for her bus. Markus didn’t really know much about his blonde friends situation, but he knew it wasn’t the best.  
“Oh,” was his only response before deciding to change the subject, “anyways, can I get my regular cup of coffee?”  
His order always made Simon smile, did he realize there was a cafe in town? The blonde man figured he’d ask.  
“Y’know, if you just want coffee, there is a cafe just down the street,” He said his back turned as he poured the coffee into the cup, adding sugar and very little cream.  
“I know, but you’re here,” He responded, he sounded so nonchalant but his words made the blonde man’s face flush bright red.  
He quickly turned around, setting his coffee on counter and then the door rang making silently thank god. It was Josh and North making him take back his thanks.  
“You look a little red, you okay?” Josh asked, putting his hand on his forehead.  
“I’m fine,” he spat, pushing his hand away from his head, “What’re you guys doing here? Don’t you have work?”  
“Boss man gave us today off, so we figured we’d come bug you,” North responded before Markus cleared his throat.  
“Oh, you’re here,” she said, her voice sounding rather bitchy making her two friends look at her, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a rude way.”  
“It’s fine,” He said before the two sat down, talking to him. Simon went back to work, exchanging goodbyes with Luther before he left, giving Emma her lunch and a hug before sending her off and telling Markus to come again.  
“How often does he come in here?” Josh asked making his best friend shrug before thinking of the answer.  
“He’s been in here everyday since the first time he’s came in,” He answered making his friend’s eyes widen.  
“That’s everyday for two months,” Josh gapped making the blonde shrug again.  
“He’s nice to talk to,” He said before five people flooded in making him sigh, “You know, if you guys want, you can help me since your off.” He was practically begging making his friends look at each other, “I’ll pay you.”  
“Okay,” They said in unison before he handed the apron’s.

Once Simon got into the swing of things, time flew by and when he looked at the clock, it was 4:16, Josh and North left two hours ago and Emma should be getting off the bus-  
“Simon!” She wailed running into the diner, her backpack swinging back in forth as she ran to her brother.  
“Emma!” He playful yelled back as she hugged him, he grabbed her back pack, setting it at the bar before she climbed into a chair, “How was school?” He asked, watching as she pulled out her homework.  
“Mrs. Williams let us read whatever books we wanted, and I got to read Harry Potter,” she responded, looking up at Simon with big excited eyes.  
“Harry Potter! Emma that’s an eighth grade level book!” He said making her beam with happiness, “I’m so proud of you Em!”  
She laughed and continued to do her homework as Daniel walked out.  
They made eye contact but didn’t exchange words, just small smiles while Daniel started handing out menus to the big party that just walked in.  
“I have to man the stove, if you need anything, ask Daniel, yeah?” He asked making his sister look over at his lookalike before back to him and shrugging. He sighed before going back into the kitchen and started making food.

His brothers and his shift ended in four hours, and they were both exhausted. Emma had long finished her homework and was now sitting quietly in one of the booths reading her Harry Potter book.  
Simon sighed, finally getting to sit down and relax for a few minutes, his brother taking a seat next to him.  
He felt something in his lap and noticed his brother had made him a sandwich.  
“Thank you, Daniel,” he praised, chowing down on his first meal of the day.  
Not eating was a bad habit of Simon’s, he always made sure his siblings were fed but often forgot about his own well-being trying to take care of them.  
“You ready to call it a day?” Daniel asked as his twin who looked over at him a small smirk on his face as he playfully rolled his eyes.  
“Damn right,” He sighs rubbing his back before grabbing the bag sitting on top of the counter, “I’ll be back, I’m going to run these out to Ralph and Jerry.”  
The other blonde man nodded as Emma’s head perked up, “Can I come?” her brown eyes were begging, Simon knowing she didn’t want to stay her with Daniel.  
“It won’t take me long, Em,” He reassured, setting the rest of his sandwich on the table in front of her. She looked at it before grabbing it and taking a bite, then settled back down into her booth reading and munching every so often. He smiled gently as he waved to his brother and headed out the door.

He took a deep breath as he exited the diner, he always loved getting out of there as it seemed be spent 90 percent of his time there. He made his way down the street, passing the cafe Josh and North worked at before turning the alley next to the building. He nodded at Rupert as he fed his birds, and continued to the end of the alley, turning right.  
His eyes falling on Kara and Alice sitting outside of the ice cream shop, both brandishing a few new bruises. They made eye contact and he gave them a small smile, it seemed to cheer both of them up as he continued walking.  
Ralph’s shop finally came into view and he inhaled deeply, loving how good it smelled. He stopped out front, a flower catching his eye. It was blue but slowly turned into green towards the top of the petals.  
Markus was the first thing that popped into his mind, and he gently smiled, picking it up. It smelled wonderfully and was very big to the point where it had it’s own pot.  
He pushed through the door, flower tucked under his arm and the lunch bag in his hand.  
“Hello, friend,” Ralph greeted as the taller blonde man put the bag down on the checkout counter, “Ralph- I, was worried you weren’t coming and thought you left him to starve.”  
He smiled, knowing how hard it was for the man to speak in first person. It had to do with the injury on the side of his head, but Simon smiled at his efforts.  
“I would never,” He reassured putting his hand on the others shoulder, “is Jerry around? There’s a second sandwich in there for him.”  
Ralph had gotten married recently, and Simon felt bad leaving out his husband. He heard a noise before Jerry appeared from behind the employee’s only door, his arm’s carrying three boxes stacked on top of each other.  
“I’m right here, let me set these down-” He started before Simon had came around the counter and pulled off the top box and Ralph grabbing the second, “Oh, thank you.”  
“No problem,” He responded as they carried the boxes over to a display shelf.  
“We’ll open them later,” The strawberry blonde man said as they all three walked back to the counter. Ralph basically tore open the bag, giving his husband the other sandwich before chowing down on his own.  
Simon stood there exchanging pleasantries before remembering his flower that he had sat down on the check out.  
“I was wondering how much this is,” He asked making Ralph push it over to him shaking his head.  
“Free for you,” He said after swallowing making Simon open his mouth to protest, only for the other man to hold his hand up, “Take the flower, consider it payment for the food and help with the boxes.” He once again pushed the flower to Simon, this time it pressed against his stomach.  
“Thank you,” He said, picking it up, Ralph rolled his eyes with a smile on his face and Jerry waved to him as he left.

 

The next morning he put the flower right in front of Markus’ seat, a small smile on his face. Daniel and Emma had asked, proded, and borderline tortured him to find out who it was for but he didn’t tell. They’d both know who it was for when he arrived.  
It was a little later when Markus arrived, Emma had gotten on the bus, and Daniel was in the kitchen cooking while Simon started the think he wasn’t coming in today.  
Then Markus came in, talking loudly with Josh and North, but when he made eye contact with Simon he stopped and smiled.  
“Hey, Si,” He said quietly taking his seat before noticing the flower, “Who's this for?”  
“You actually,” He responded his cheeks a little red as he scratched the back of his neck, “I saw it yesterday when I was running Ralph and Jerry lunch. I immediately thought of you.”  
Markus’ eyes were wide and his cheeks definitely flushed, before he yanked Simon into a tight hug.  
“Thank you,” He whispered into his ear before realising him. His friends chuckled at his slightly more red face but he didn’t care.  
“You’re welcome,” He said back before continuing his work with a dopey smile for the rest of the day.


	4. A distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus needs a distraction after worrying about his dads heart ptoblems and Leo's rehab. Simon lives just down the street.

Markus sketched the flower Simon had given him for the seventh time that day. He had only had it for about two weeks now and, with his dad’s help, it had become bigger and more vibrant. He had drawn it many times throughout the two weeks it sat on the windowsill of his bedroom, almost had an entire sketchbook filled. Though it wasn’t just the flower usually, most of the pictures had Simon in them.  
Some had the blonde holding it, others had him surrounded by them, or they were covering certain areas of the man's body. He prefered not to think about those last ones though as they usually were a result of late night frustration and his over creative brain working together.  
He finished the shading on the last petal and looked at it, picture perfect. He had long gotten it down to memory so drawing it had become like second nature.  
He sighed, what was he doing? Seriously, he and Simon clearly had something going on, but neither seemed to want to act on it. He decided to go into the kitchen to get a cup of water and think out his predicament.

“Hey dad,” He said, as he watched the man make himself a simple sandwich, “Got any work done?”  
“Not much, been having some troubles,” He answered making his younger son look at him with a concerned expression.  
“Is the medication not working?” He asked as he grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it with tap water.  
“I need something stronger,” He said making his son look at the clear liquid in his hand, his heterochromatic eyes seemingly scanning it for a way to respond.  
“That’s a lot of money,” He whispered while chewing his bottom lip, his current medication was 700 dollars on it’s own, and now he wanted something more powerful bumping up the price up a good 1,000. He swallowed thickly as he pulled out his phone, “I’ll see what I can do.” He responded finally as his dad wheeled out of the kitchen with his sandwich in his lap.

“Yes, Thank you, see you then,” He responded into his phone before hearing a knock on his door, he groaned. He hung up, tied his sweat pants so they weren’t loosely hanging off his hips, and went to grab a shirt but a more haste knock was delivered making him sigh.  
“Hello?” He asked, opening the front door to see Leo standing there with two officers behind him. One of them was an older guy, roughly sixties and the other was in his 20’s. Markus regretted not putting his shirt on, “dear christ, Leo,” He groaned, rubbing his temples in annoyance.  
“We found him behind Ralph’s, again, he was passed out when we found him and wasn’t responsive. He’s okay now but we suggest you keep a closer eye on him,” said the younger cop as older one shoved Leo into the house, “Next time he won’t be so lucky to be found.”  
“Thank you, officers,” Markus responded making them nod and turn around to leave. He shut the door before whipping around to stare daggers into his older brother, “Are you fucking stupid?!” he yelled stomping up to him and getting in his face.  
“Fuck off, Markus,” He grumbled pushing him but the other quickly caught his balance and grabbed Leo’s arm.  
“No! I’m getting sick of this, I shouldn’t have to worry about finding your sorry ass in a back alley overdosed on god knows what! This is the fifth time the police have had to take you home,” He prodded as his brother tried to yank away from him, “What the hell happened to rehab, huh? Or are you just content with being a piece of shit?”  
That insult clearly dug into his brother as he swiftly pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into his younger brothers right eye socket, the impact knocked him clear onto his ass. That only fueled his anger as he stood up, but he didn’t attack his brother back. He shook his head, licking his lips before looking at him.  
“I hate you,” He growled as his brother tried to fold in on himself, “Either you go to rehab or I’m kicking you out of the house. I’m with your shit, Leo. I can’t take this and dad sure as hell can’t.”  
His older brother stared at him for a second before running upstairs.

Markus needed a distraction, he needed one now at 10 o’clock at night, and the only person he could think of was right down the street. He threw on a baggy black t-shirt, pulled on his leather jacket over it, tightened his sweatpants, before slipping on his Nike slides.  
He grabbed his phone, house keys, and left a note for his dad and swiftly left. He hoped Simon was awake as he walked the two houses down. He saw the light on in the front window making him walk up onto the porch, suck in am unsteady breath, and knock twice.  
He wasn’t left waiting that long and was soon greeted by a confused face.  
“Markus,” Simon spoke, his eyes turning from hard annoyance to soft concern, “Come in,” he moved out of the way letting him in.  
His house was warm, smelled nice, and had a friendly atmosphere. He immediately felt himself untense and followed his blonde friend into his living room. He noticed Emma sleeping on the couch, making him smile softly.  
“She had a long day huh?” He asked making the slightly taller man nod, before scooping her into his arms.  
“Everyday is a long day for her,” He responded before looking at Markus, “Why are you here?” He motioned for him follow as they climbed the stairs and entered a room covered in science posters and pictures of the three of them together.  
“I’m stressed out of my mind, and figured since you amazing at making me smile, I’d come seem you,” He responded as the blonde tucked his sister in. He gave her a small kiss on the forehead before looking at Markus who was standing in the doorway.  
“Do you want to crash here?” He asked simply, he looked dog tired and completely unready to deal with anyone.  
“Please?” He asked making the Simon nod, getting up from Emma’s bed and walk to the room across the hall.  
“You can sleep in here,” He responded, throwing the blanket that was on the floor onto the bed, and shutting the closet door.  
“Are you alright?” Markus asked, the blonde seemed off, “You can talk to me, Si.”  
The other man looked at the ground before flopping down onto the bed, he let out a sigh with some emotion Markus couldn’t quite identify. He looked over at his guest before lifting his arm and waving him over.  
“Join me,” He said as he watched the other man shed his jacket, simply leaving it on the ground, and also took of his shoes on the way over there. He eventually laid next to the blonde, both just listening to the sound of each other breathing before Simon propped himself up on his elbows.  
“Do you ever get the feeling that everything you do is wrong? Or that everything you do isn’t enough,” He asked, his blue eyes trained on the ceiling. Markus watched him as he seemed to search for more words, but none came to mind.  
“Sometimes,” He admitted before hearing his friend let out a sad chuckle, as he looked down at Markus, his eyes falling to the man's lips before back to his eyes.  
“Do you ever feel alone?” He asked, his voice even quieter this time as if he didn’t want Markus to hear him.  
“All the time, until I met you,” He answered, watching the blonde man’s face start to turn red, “I often struggle to get you out of my mind.”  
There was a small smile Simon’s face, as he leaned down and kissed Markus’ forehead.  
“Goodnight, Markus,” He said before laying on his side and pulling the covers over his body.  
It was Makrus’ turn to stare at the ceiling now, before rolling over and gently wrapping his arm around Simon’s waist.  
“Goodnight, Simon,” He whispered before letting his eyes slide closed.


	5. Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though that morning had been utter hell, Markus decided that last night's events were something to go off of. Simon is a Harry Potter nerd as it would turn out.

That next morning was dead set on making Markus’ life a living hell. It started off by Daniel barging into the room at 4 am, yelling about they woke up late, but when Simon’s look-a-like saw Markus’ clothes strewn about and him cuddling up to his brother he had a fucking cow. He marched over to Markus ripping the covers off of him before throwing him on the floor, if he wasn’t awake before he definitely was now.  
“Oh thank god, you’re clothed,” He wheezed, putting his hand over his heart while the darker man on the floor rubbed his back. Simon groaned, sitting up, and tossing his head over his shoulder to look at his brother and markus.  
“Daniel, get out of my room and stop scaring my friends,” He said making his sibling give Markus at look that could only be described as ‘touch him and I’ll castrate you’.  
“Come on, gotta get up and at em’,” Simon said, throwing Markus’ jacket at him before shedding his shirt. He was skinny, much skinnier than Daniel, making the other man frown. He stood up regardless and pulled on his jacket.

Simon never ceased to amaze him as they had showed up at the dinner at 4:24, everyone was dressed and nice looking despite them all being dog tired. Emma took her seat outside the door, letting her little head rest against the wall as she slept.  
“I’m sorry Daniel woke you,” Simon sighed as he slid a cup of coffee over to Markus, “I planned on letting you sleep.”  
“Don’t worry about it,” He responded, waving his hand in the air to emphasize his point only to knock his coffee onto himself, “great.” he chuckled as the blonde slid napkins over to him.  
First he get roughly yanked out of bed at 4 am, and now he has blazing hot coffee all over his shirt, could this morning get any better?

Turns out, it could, and Markus had not only coffee all over his shirt but also an entire plate of food due an angry customer throwing their plate at Daniel, missing and hitting Markus with it.Oh, and an old lady called him a prick which just hurt his feelings.  
“I swear I’m cursed,” Simon said while trying to scrub mustard out of Markus’ shirt, “Everyone I get involved with ends up having the worse day afterwards. North and Josh will warn people- maybe that’s why I’ve been single for so long.” Markus smiled at the blonde’s rambling.  
“Well, I hope you don’t mind testing your theory, because I want to take you out,” Markus chuckled making Simon look at him with wide eyes.  
“W-Why? This morning was awful-”  
“Who cares? Everyone has off days, some worse than others,” He said motioning to himself, “and if I suffer through this every morning just to go on one date with you, then so be it.”  
Simon was clearly speechless before a small smile flooded his face, “Please take me out,” he softly giggled as Markus smiled widely. They sat there for a second before they slowly leaned in. They were an inch apart, “Simon where the hell are you with these orders!” Daniel yelled making the two jump.  
“Coming!” He yelled, his cheeks so red it put a tomato to shame, “I’ll see you later,yeah? I’ll be free around 8.”  
“It’s a plan then,” Markus cheesed as the blonde ran off to help his brother.

 

As soon as 8 o’clock rolled around, Markus pulled up to Simon’s house and the blonde hurried out of the door. He had on a blue sweater that matched his eyes, black skinny jeans, and blue Vans, he looked adorable.  
“Hey,” He said quietly as Markus smiled, Simon was clearly blushing and they hadn’t even done anything, “How are you?”  
“I’m good,” Markus answered as he started down the road, he saw Simon shift in his seat, “Anxious?”  
“I haven’t been out in so long, of course I’m anxious,” He chuckled nervous but Markus placed his hand on the others thigh. He suddenly felt like he had nothing to worry about.  
“Don’t worry, I think you’ll like what I have planned,” Markus responded, giving the others leg a small squeeze before putting his hand back on the the wheel.

 

“You took me to a Harry Potter Festival?” Simon squealed as he jumped out of the car, Markus followed behind him quickly. He had a huge smile on his face, “Markus, thank you!” He crushed the other in his arms making Markus smile.  
“Josh said you really liked the movies, so I figured I’d take you to the festival, They’re showing all the movies tonight,” He explained as Simon grabbed his hand and pulled him into the festival.

They both had a great time, Markus got Avada Kedavraed and had to play dead for 30 minutes while Simon was dragged into a reenactment of the battle of hogwarts, then they played cards against muggles and took pictures with a bunch of Snape cosplayers, and finally each chugged as many Butterbeers they could and were a tad bit tipsy. They managed to stumble to the lawn where they were about to show the movies.  
They plopped down on one of the many harry potter blankets littering the whole lawn and snuggled into each other.  
“I’ve had the best time,” Simon giggled as he got comfortable against Markus’ body, “Thank you for doing this.  
“Thank you for coming, don’t know who else would’ve done this,” Markus said as they heard the theme song causing the whole lawn to erupt into people singing along. Simon was one of those people and Markus thought it was so cute.  
Markus decided he could get used to Simon’s body against his.


	6. You have my word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel’s protective, maybe too protective.

They had gone on so many dates after that, and before they knew it it had been three months and they basically were a couple. Though neither labeled it that, it was just kind of accepted between them that they were exclusive.  
“I’m heading to yours after this,” Markus said, as he swallowed down his last cup of coffee, “I’ll grab Emma off the bus for you.”  
“Thank you, Markus,” Simon said, giving the man a small kiss on the cheek, and let him leave.  
They hadn’t done anything, not even kissed. They didn’t talk about it either, both just assumed if it happened then they’d just let it happen.  
No need to rush into that stuff, and both were content with just small kisses on the cheek or neck here and there and occasionally holding hands.  
Oh, and Pet names, though that was usually on Markus’ end as he often called Simon baby or love.  
Markus had definitely made Simon’s life easier as he would often pick up Emma off the bus, and get her laid down so she would actually get enough rest.  
He really appreciated it, Emma needed all the sleep she could get. She also really liked Markus, often telling her olde brother to marry him. It made Simon crack a smile and shake his head.

“You and Markus, huh?” Daniel said making his brother jump, pulled abruptly out of his thoughts.  
“Oh, yeah, I guess,” he responded with a small shrug and slightly pinking cheeks.  
“Careful with that one, Si,” his brother vaguely warmed making the other glance at him with knitted eyebrows.  
“W-What do you mean?” He asked making Daniel shake his head.  
“He’s got a lot on his shoulders, and you’ve got ten times more on your shoulders. This relationship could end very badly,” he explained making Simon huff.  
“Why can’t I just be happy with who I want?” He snapped making Daniel narrow his eyes.  
“What?” He growled making his brother swallow hard but he was gonna stand his ground.  
“You’re always telling me to be careful and to worry about just our family, but Markus has helped us a ton! I think you’re just- just- UGH- just jealous!” He yelled making his brother take a step back as if Simon had thrown something at him.  
“You know what, when he hurts you don’t come crying to me!” Daniel yelled, as he stomped into the back kitchen, Simon felt awful as tears pricked his eyes. He continued to work the rest of that day trying to hold back tears.

When he got home that night, he collapsed in Markus’ arms. He took in a deep breath, Markus smelled like home and safety, it always calmed his nerves.  
“How was work, love?” He asked, as Daniel walked in the door, glaring at them before slamming the front door and stomping to his room, “bad I take it?”  
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Simon sighed making his friend? Lover? nod his head before pulling Simon onto the couch.  
“Let’s watch documentaries about crazy shit,” Markus said making the blonde quirk his brow, “we can make fun of the clearly crazy people on there. Leo and I used to do it.”  
Simon smiled softly as he cuddled up to Markus and waited for the documentary to start.

Well, one way or another, it happened. They had moved so Markus was laying on the couch, and Simon was on top of him, his head resting on Markus chest.  
Then, Simon felt the urge to just... kiss him. So, as the tv faded to black as it was switching scenes he leaned up and kissed Markus quickly.  
It was fast and just a peck but Markus’ eyebrows were raised and he hesitantly leaned up and kissed Simon again.  
It was slower this time, and Simon straddled Markus’ hips as they kissed, Markus placed his hand son Simon’s hips.  
He swiped his tongue over Simon’s bottom lip, feeling the other pause before slowly opening his mouth. He slipped his tongue in gentle, letting them glide over each other’s.  
Simon let out a small moan when Markus slid his hand up his shirt, letting it run along the curve of his back before taking it higher.  
“EHEM,” a voice came making both of them jump, Simon whipped his head around. Daniel stood looking particularly annoyed.  
“D-Daniel,” Simon panted, as Markus removed his hands from his body. He frowned slightly at that, “What’re you doing awake?”  
“I came to apologize, but clearly I interrupted something,” He sassed making Simon want to roll his eyes but he felt bad. Daniel shouldn’t apologize, he wasn’t in the wrong.  
“Let me freshen up, and we can talk later,” Simon sighed as he looked back to Markus who was looking disappointed, “I’m sorry Markus.”  
He watched him seemingly force a smile as he nodded gently, “it’s okay, that is more important,” he sounded so disappointed making the blonde close his eyes in frustration.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He said trying to sound hopeful as he climbed off Markus to go Chang into his pajamas and prepare to talk to his brother.  
“Yeah,” he responded as the blonde rushed off.

He sat up on the couch, fixing his shirt and pants before looking over at Daniel.  
He nodded but suddenly he felt the other’s fist ball up in his shirt and yank him forward.  
“Listen to me Markus when I say this,” he growled, his eyes an icy grey-blue color, “Simon has so much to worry about already. The last thing he needs is another problem. Leave. Him. Alone.”  
His words were like freezing ice hitting Markus’ blazing heart.  
But he wasn’t about to back down, fuck that, “What’ll you do if I don’t?” He challenged, grabbing Daniel’s hand and removing forcibly from his shirt.  
The twin smiled bitterly, “I’ve been to prison once, Markus,” he pulled his shirt up, revealing a gun shot wound, “I’ve killed two people already. Simon means the world to me and Emma. I’ll be damned, if I let you take him from us.”  
Markus swallowed thickly was the blonde dropped his shirt back down, a cold, unforgiving look in his eyes.  
“I’m not taking him from you, I’m sharing him,” Markus tried to reason and only watched Daniel shake his head.  
“Simon’s in debt, you know that right? Oh, and he’s paying for my medication, and Emma’s therapy. Not to mention we’re at risk of losing the diner, but let me guess, you didn’t know that?” He jabbed his finger at Markus’ chest, “He’s got things more important than you to worry about. So please leave him alone, before I have to make you.”  
Those words hit the other man hard, and he didn’t want to agree. He couldn’t agree, but look on Daniel’s face was mostly anger, but also desperation.  
He sighed, his heart aching as he did so.  
“Damnit,” he mumbled before shaking his head, “You have my word. I’ll leave him be.”  
“Thank you,” Daniel sounded so genuine, and Markus left a little better knowing he was making someone feel better.

Markus walked home after that, god it felt like forever since he’d been home. He trusted Carl enough to talk care of himself for short periods of time.  
He walked through the door, surprised to see Leo setting the table for him and their dad.  
“Markus,” Carl’s voice spoke as his son nodded with a sad smile on his face, “How have you been? It’s been almost four days since we’ve seen you last.”  
“Really? It feels like it’s only been hours,” he responded offering a more happy smile. At least he attempted to.  
“What’s bothering you, my boy?” Carl asked as he wheeled into the kitchen, Leo putting down a third plate for Markus.  
The two brothers made eye contact, Markus saw sorrow and regret in Leo’s, and Leo saw hurt and frustration in Markus’. Neither chose to comment on it.  
“Nothing, I’m just so tired, and happy to be home,” he lied as he quickly started eating as the food was set on the table.  
“It’s good to have you here,” Leo responded quietly, making Carl’s eyes widen in shock and Markus nearly choke on his food.  
All three laughed once Markus coughed it up, they finally felt like a family again.


End file.
